Thursday, October 29, 2009

The Intelligence Over Ignorance Tour continues. I had the pleasure of speaking to some students at Carrington Middle School in Durham NC. To schedule a lecture contact (919) 451-8283 or info@ioimovement.com

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

I will be the first to admit that I like Michael Jackson's music. I've been a fan since the "I Want You Back" days.

However, I have mixed feelings about the new movie coming out tomorrow. I'm not sure that it is an honest attempt to pay tribute to one of the world's greatest entertainers or just a scam for greedy media moguls to recoup some of the money that they lost when Jackson died.

Also, there is the issue of the hypocrisy that folks like Rev. Al Sharpton brought up after The King of Pop's death. Rev. was right, many of the same people who were boo hooin' last July, were hatin' on him the day before he died.

I remember the video channels playing "They Don't Really Care About Us," Jackson's most political song. The same stations probably hadn't played the song since some people criticized the lyrics as "anti-semitic."

A lot of folks hated Jackson's political side that began to surface after the accusations of his having improper relations with children.

Now I wasn't really feelin' all the damage control when he was on the tube talkin' about how proud he was to be a "black African American."

(I wasn't with the OJ Simpson attempt to prove that he was "down with the brothas, either)

But when MJ started calling out the big shots who control the music industry, I was impressed!

What is sad is that the movie will probably make millions more than his come back attempt would have made. To most folks, Mike was a 50 year old has been.

It could be argued that Tupac Shakur would have long been replaced by the Lil Wayne's of the world if he hadn't been killed.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

James Baldwin once said that to be black and conscious in America is to be in a constant state of rage. Maybe that explains why the black guy in the car next to you looks like he just had a bowl of nails for breakfast.

Most white Americans are of the opinion that these are happy times for black folks. You know, with the dude that everyone assumes is our "homie" in the White House and all. Even hardcore Hip Hoppers like Jay Z and Young Jeezy took brief hiatuses from rapping about guns and drugs to acknowledge the historic 2008 presidential victory. So even the most liberal white guy greats the permanent Ice Cube- like scowl on my face with the comforting words of "why so glum, chum ?"

For many African Americans, the euphoria of the last election has not lived up to the hype. This is compounded by the increasing attacks on "blackness" by the right wing under the guise of critiquing the Obama administration.

So, as comedian Richard Pryor once said, "I got a right to be hostile, my people are being persecuted!"

While today's average white American sees the modern expression of black anger as something as commercially, superficial as Kanye West snatchin' a microphone from Taylor Swift, black rage is deeply rooted in American history.

One of the first instances of black anger in written form was Wilmington NC native David Walker's, "Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World."The 1829 pamphlet boldly warned America that "woe, woe will be to you if we have to obtain our freedom by fighting." Not quite the sentiment of the stereotypical "happy go lucky darkie" of Antebellum America folk lore.

Black disillusionment continued after World Wars I and II as the black soldiers who risked their lives overseas experienced as much racism on foreign soil as they did domestically. It has been recorded that German prisoners of war received better treatment than African American enlisted men. The soldiers also returned home to see black men lynched while still in uniform.

The condition of African Americans did not change during the following decades, prompting Civil Rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer to proclaim in frustration that she was "sick and tired of being sick and tired."

Black rage of the Civil Rights Age came to a head after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, resulting in the burning of many American cities, bringing to fruition the prophesies of Black Power prophets of rage like Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture) and H. Rap Brown (Jamil Al-Amin).

Black anger trickled into the 80's and early 90's with a series of rebellions accompanied by a soundtrack courtesy of a politicized Hip Hop movement courtesy of groups like Public Enemy; the rebellions after the so called "Rodney King Trial" being the most reminiscent of the explosive 60's.

Not only black rage but protest in general was subdued after 9/11 as anything even remotely resembling anti-Americanism was seen as a threat to national security and carried with it the possibility of a lengthy stay at the Gitmo Hotel.

In 2009, the current state of affairs in this country threatens to wake the sleeping not -so- jolly black giant.

However, the spark that may ignite Baldwin's, "Fire Next Time" may be mostly based on a deep sense of hopelessness.

Many African Americans are now questioning whether things will ever get better. I mean, there are just so many times that you can ,unsuccessfully, play the Lotto at your local convenience before storming to the exit knocking over a rack of potato chips on your way out.

What if the unemployment rate never goes down?

What if 2010 brings about another Republican revolution?

What if the mass mobilization of the right wing base is successful and President Obama does not win a second term and the miracle of a black president goes down in the annals of American history as a fluke?

This state of fear and frustration is worsened by ultra conservative talking heads who insist on pouring gasoline on the fire on a daily basis.

There is an old adage in the black community that if you tell white folks what they want to hear, all will be right with the world.

Therefore, white America may be totally oblivious to the black rage bubblin' under the surface until it boils over.

The average Joe Bob will believe that everything is fine and dandy until Willie Smith, his mild mannered black coworker goes off on a tirade about "400 years of oppression," after he, politely, asks him for one of his doughnuts one morning.

So, the question that is being posed in 2009 is the same question that poet Langston Hughes asked in 1951,

"What happens to a dream deferred?"

I don't know, America. You tell me...

Paul Scott is a self-syndicated columnist and author of the blog, No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

In 1971, Gil Scott Heron recorded, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised." Although the song was written during the time of the Vietnam War, Heron could have just as easily been talking about the war against gangsta-ism being waged on the campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's), today.

Across the country , students are protesting the fact that student funds are being used to give fat paychecks to Hip Hop artists that promote violence and disrespect of women. Every year, black institutions of higher learning, collectively, spend millions of dollars bankrolling Hip Hop homecoming shows that promote the worst kind of anti-intellectualism.

Unfortunately, except for a few Hip Hop websites and scant local media coverage, the protests have received little attention from a black community that should be rallying around such efforts to protect the minds of African American youth.

Earlier this month, students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, NC protested an appearance by rapper, Gucci Mane because of his lyrics that glorify gang life. Although, the concert is still scheduled for October 31, the students were successful in getting North Carolina A&T administrators to drop the school's support of the show.

Now, The FAMU People's Coalition, a group of students and community activists around the campus of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University have started a campaign against their upcoming homecoming show with the rallying call,' You Call that a Concert?".

According to group co founder, Terrance Darnell during an interview with No Warning Shots Fired.com, the current FAMU concert lineup is in direct conflict with the cultural and social guidance that the institution is supposed to provide. The lineup was originally scheduled to include Gucci Mane but he will not attend, supposedly, because of legal issues.

"The University shouldn't validate these artists, " said Darnell.

It has been reported that a HBCU can invest upwards of $100,000 to put on these types of shows , money that Darnell says should be put to better use.

"The money could have gone to get a higher caliber of artist," he said.

On the organization's website , they list a group of performers whom they feel would better represent the university's mission statement including, Common and Lupe Fiasco.

Although, many people believe that all young black people support the gangsta-ism of some of today's Hip Hop artists , Darnell says that his group's own research contradicts this long held myth.

"Where are all the people endorsing this" he asks? "The majority of the people understand where we are coming from."

Perhaps, the bigger question is why is so little attention being paid to these gangsta rap rebellions ? It can be argued that if the students of HBCU's were involved in some negative activity it would be front page news. However when young folks raise their voices against negative noise, the silence is deafening.

In an era when the educational gap between black males and their peers just keeps getting wider and children are being killed on the streets by senseless, gang violence, how can we hold our tongues and refuse to speak out?

Where are the religious leaders who should be on the front line of this fight? Where are the educators who should be waging war against the destruction of young minds? Where are the alumni of HBCU's who should be upholding the honor of their schools?

Could it be that the blood money that these concerts generate makes those who should be aiding the protesters look the other way?

The activities of these activists should be the main topic of conversation in barbershops, community meetings and Sunday morning church services in every city in America. Members of the community should be textin' and tweetin' this information to their circle of friends until the wee hours of the morning.

Some my ask, why with all the problems facing black folks, should we be so concerned about a rap concert?

Terrance Darnell said it best.

"I'm not willing to have this on my conscience when I'm 70 years old."

Saturday, October 17, 2009

With the announcement of Rush Limbaugh's failure to purchase part of the St Louis Rams football franchise, the Right went on a safari to track down the ever elusive, black racist. As usual, the race hunters came up empty. The best specimen that they could capture was Fox News Channel's token black commentator, Dr. Marc Lamont Hill with a picture of former Black Liberation Army member, Assata Shakur on his website. Hardly, evidence of a violent plot to take over America by spear wielding black militants.

The reason why the Right Wingers have never been able to successfully cage a black racist is simple. They don't exist.

Now this may be a hard pill to swallow for those who, wholeheartedly, believe in a warped version of the law of opposites.

If there is white racism, surely there must be black racism. If whites have ,historically, enslaved and oppressed blacks, there has to be some remote island out in the Atlantic where Bobby Whitman is being forced to pick cotton and sing Barry Manilow songs while Tyrone Jackson stands over him with a whip and a tall glass of Country Time Lemonade.

However, this Bizarro World of black supremacy only exists in the minds of Ultra Right talking heads and those who set their watches by the Glenn Beck Show.

For years, the Right has used the charge of "reverse racism" to hide their collective fears that they are losing control of America. Oddly enough, many people who scream racism don't have the foggiest idea what the word means. While the definition of "racism" may be a doctrine of racial superiority, the functional definition is the power of a group to exercise this doctrine over others. Therefore, as author Nelly Fuller wrote "the only form of functional racism that exists among the people of the known universe is white supremacy."

The doctrine of white supremacy is so entrenched in this society that even an African American president of the United States is not exempt.

So, sorry folks, by this definition, African Americans cannot be racist. We can be a lot of things; prejudiced, bigots, etc but the one thing that we cannot be, for social and economic reasons, is racist.

It must be noted that in order to find a black racist apologists for white supremacy have had to reach back centuries.

In his book, "The Ice Man Inheritance: Prehistoric Sources of Western Man's Racism, Sexism and Aggression," Canadian author, Michael Bradley traces the foundation of the myth of black racism back centuries when the Bantu-speaking people conquered the Khoikhoi and the Saan. Because anthropologist CS Coon divided the Africans into two separate races, some have used this as evidence of "black supremacy." However, Bradley also quotes anthropologist Ashley Montague as saying, " The modern conception of race owes its widespread diffusion to the white man. Wherever he has gone he has carried it with him."

This was also evident in the late 60's and early 70's, when those attempting to label the Black Panther Party as "racists" ignored the fact that Panther ideology was based on Marxism which downplayed race in order to organize the oppressed working class and also the fact that the party had many white supporters including celebrities such as Jane Fonda and Marlon Brando.

This frantic search for black supremacy continued into the 80's and 90's when black leaders such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, Minister Louis Farrakhan and Rev. Al Sharpton were labeled racists as well as entertainers such as the rap group, Public Enemy.

We see the same trend continuing over the last year as Conservatives tried to link black racism to the Obama administration by their attacks on the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Even the Latino community was not spared as Supreme Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor was portrayed by the conservative media as a brown racist.

So, it is not black racism that is the problem, it is conservative talk show hosts such as Sean Hannity, Mike Savage and Rush Limbaugh who spew their hate filled venom across the planet via their satellite powered pulpits, 24 hours a day.

If Limbaugh and his ilk want to see a real racist, they need to look no further than their own bathroom mirrors.

Paul Scott is a self-syndicated columnist and author of the blog, No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

The folks on the Right are buzzing over a rumor floating around on the 'net that Murdoch and company have given their token black commentator , Dr. Marc Lamont Hill the axe. This comes after they made a big stinky over Hill's web page that they said supported folks like former Black Liberation Army member, Assata Shakur.

Kinda reminds me of the old story about the little girl who picked up a rattlesnake that promised not to bite her. When the snake bit her he simply said, "You knew I was a snake when you picked me up."

Some may suggest that we are just gluttons for punishment. However, the truth is the black "Good ol' Brotha's Club" already has the Liberal media on lock down. So, we go on Fox hoping to get a good punch in before we get caught off.

But that doesn't change the fact that you're still dealin' with the Empire of Evil.

As the old folks used to say, "lay down with dogs; wake up with fleas."

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

A few months ago, the trailers for ION network's new cable series, "Durham County Secrets" had residents scrambling to make sure that the closets holding their skeletons were securely locked. To the relief of many, the series had nothing to do with Durham NC.

However, in his new book, "Liberalism, Black Power and the Making of American Politics 1965-1980," Vanderbilt University professor, Dr. Devin Fergus, uncovers some secrets that are sure to have Durham folks talking.

In the book, Fergus writes about the Black Power Movement in North Carolina and how it was co-opted by Liberalism. Interestingly enough, he devotes the first two chapters to "the Bull City."

In a recent interview with No Warning Shots Fired.com, Fergus, a New Jersey native, said that he is no stranger to the Tar Heel State having spent his summers down south. Durham was of special interest to him because of the flattering words that Dr. WEB Du Bois gave the black entrepreneurial spirit of the city in the early 20th century and because of the late Minnesota senator, Paul Wellstone's 1969 thesis, "Why They Believe in Violence" which predicted that "Durham was on the precipice of race war."

Fergus also said that one thing that grabbed his attention about Durham was former black power activist, Howard Fuller.

Although, Durham is often praised as being "Black Wall Street" and a haven for the black middle class, the Black Power Movement, which was popular with less affluent members of the city's African American community, is rarely mentioned in books. Even though, E. Franklin Frazier writes in his classic work, "Black Bourgeoisie," that "the capital of the black bourgeoisie was Durham NC," few books mention the city as a hotbed of black militancy.

This is the segment of the population that Fuller set out to represent.

The book chronicles Fuller's struggle with Durham's black middle class, some of whom saw his militancy as a threat to their social and economic stability.

Although some in Durham have, continuously, argued for Afrocentric education for black children, Fuller started Malcolm X Liberation University as early as March of 1969. By the fall of 1970, based, partially, on the efforts of some members of Durham's middle class, MXLU was forced to seek greener pastures in Greensboro, NC.

Later in the book, Fergus moves his focus to other areas of North Carolina, writing about black empowerment projects from Winston Salem's chapter of the Black Panther Party to the mobilization around the Joan Little case and Warren County's Soul City.

While much of the focus of his book is on the black middle class's relationship with black power, he also writes of white liberalism and its attempt to push black militancy into the more socially acceptable political arena.

While some may consider "Liberalism, Black Power and the Making of American Politics" controversial, for a black Hip Hop generation searching for answers to what happened to the "black pride" about which their parents would brag, Fergus's book is a secret that now must be yelled from rooftops.

Dr. Devin Fergus is scheduled to come to the Triangle on a lecture tour the weekend of October 23rd. For more information contact rhuff@ugapress.uga.edu

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

As I sit here watching VH1's Hip Hop Honor's Def Jam," I am reflecting back to the first time that I heard T-La Rock''s "It's Yours."

Could it be that it was all so simple then?

I remember Def Jam in its heyday. LL Cool J's "Radio" was just as hard as anything that is played on the radio, today sans the profanity and tales of drug sells.

I remember the first time I heard Public Enemy's "Rebel With a Cause." Over 20 years later, as I watch the group perform the song, just like a generation ago, even some folks in that room like the music of Public Enemy but despise the message of Public Enemy.

To Def Jam's credit, even though the label did go gangsta with some of its artists, the label never totally lost its soul.

Even DMX wasn't void of a conscious as some of the West Coast artists seem to be.

However, I guess what is most disappointing about Def Jam is that the label had the opportunity to be the leader that could have preserved what was good about Hip Hop. Instead as Hip Hop changed, so did Def Jam. As evidence by Rick Ross, who is performing as I write this.

Maybe someday, someone will realize that a "def jam" doesn't have to celebrate black death.

Over, the last couple of weeks, the media have again been running reports about Shakur. The first being Right Wing stories about Fox News commentator , Dr. Marc Lamont Hill's, alleged support for Shakur.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

"Information we get today is just wack. But ask yourself, why is that?"Hip Hop artist KRS One

As a child, I don't know what I learned first, the lyrics to the Jackson Five's hit "ABC" or that little ditty about Columbus sailing "the ocean blue in fourteen-hundred and ninety-two." Anyway, the latter had a much greater role in shaping my world view and that of many others.

October 12, is Columbus Day; a time that is traditionally set aside to honor the "founder of western civilization," Christopher Columbus.

However, to some of us it is the glorification of one of the greatest lies ever told in the history of mankind. For the drones who will be partying on C-Day, I bet not one of them will ask the basic, fundamental question "How can someone discover a new world when there were real live breathing human beings already there?"

But, in America, not only do folks celebrate such outlandish myths, they create holidays around them.

I never understood the proper way to celebrate Columbus Day, anyway. What do you do, go out and "discover" the UPS package left on your neighbor's doorstep?

What many people recognize as Columbus's great "discovery" merely marks the beginning of European western imperialism.

According to James Loewen in his controversial book "Lies My Teacher Told Me," the coming of Columbus should be remembered for two things; "the taking of land, wealth and labor from the indigenous people, leading to their extermination" and "the transatlantic slave trade."

If you don't believe me, the next time you run into a Caribbean Arawak...

Oh, that's right you can't because, thanks to good ol' Chris, they don't exist, anymore.

Also, it must be noted that, according to researchers such as the late Dr. Ivan Van Sertima, author of "They Came Before Columbus," African people (among others) visited the West long before the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria dropped their anchors in the Caribbean.

So, the real purpose of Columbus Day is to reinforce the idea of European global Manifest Destiny, "the white man's burden" or whatever excuse used to justify the subjugation of the non-European people of the planet.

What is most disturbing is the fact that falsehoods such as the Columbus myth still form the cornerstone of the United States educational system.

This is especially sad during a time when a nonwhite person is leader of the free world.

I don't care how many education initiatives that President Obama launches, unless the citizens of this country challenge traditional western thought, they aren't worth a hill of beans.

How can we encourage our children to value education when we allow myths to go, unchallenged ? How can we ask our youth to think for themselves and not succumb to the evils of peer pressure if we,as adults, don't have the guts to smash the idols of our collective intellectual oppression ?

We tell our young people not to believe the images that they see on BET and the lyrics they hear on Hip Hop radio stations but at the same time we tell them it's okay to believe in historical fairy tales.

It is time that we finally have the courage to stand up and say that we will no longer allow lies parading as truth to poison the minds of our children. In order to do this we must not only tell the truth about Columbus Day but all the other myths that plague us.

Collectively, we must push for a society where truth trumps educational dogmatism.

Over the last year this country has changed politically. Now it is time for us to change mentally.

Paul Scott is a self-syndicated columnist and author of the blog, No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

It's Autumn. A time when HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) across the country celebrate homecomings. It's a season of football games, marching bands and step shows. It's also a time when universities pay major dollars to rappers who act like they have never seen the inside of a classroom.

Recently, students at North Carolina A@T and FAMU protested the inclusion of Gucci Mane in their annual homecoming concerts. The students felt that with the spilling over of gang violence onto college campuses, to roll out the red carpet for one of the major purveyors of all that is wrong with Hip Hop would not be a good look.

Although the Gucci guy is still scheduled to roll into Greensboro Halloween night, because of the student protests, the university's administrators decided to take the school's name off of the marquee.

I don't know why the "Aggies" are singling out Gucci Mane since there is nothing, even remotely, unique about his Dirty South swagga and "trap tales." But I really don't care why they put Gucci on blast. The revolution against this foolishness has to start somewhere and I can think of no better place than a predominately black institute of higher learning and I can think of no better time than now.

This is not the first time that college students have taken a stand against the violence and misoginy in most commercial Hip Hop. Back in 2004, the sisters of Spelman put heat on Nelly in response to his Tip Drill video that featured a black woman's derriere being used as a credit card swiper.

But it has not happened nearly enough. While many people have looked to the teeny bopper "106 and Park " crowd to be the vanguard responsible for stopping "gangsta rap" the real responsibility lies at the feet of college students.

It is a well known fact that most entertainers don't make their money selling cds, especially in the age of youtube and Limewire but they make their spending cash via concert tours. Many of theses concerts are held in conjunction with college activities such as homecomings and spring break events.

So, in essence, it can be said that HBCU's bankroll much of the music that promotes black on black violence and the disrespect of black women.Although, some my argue that college coeds are old enough to know the difference between the fantasy world of Hip Hop and real life, their little brothers and sisters are not. By supporting artists that promote negativity the students are helping to fund the destruction of the generation coming up behind them.

Despite the fact that some of these colleges have Hip Hop classes and frequently sponsor Hip Hop conferences that bemoan the current state of Hip Hop, unfortunately, these initiatives have not helped the students develop a workable strategy that would force Hip hop artists to produce the type of music that many college educated students profess to want.

This is not to say that white colleges are bastions of morality, by any means , as the keg parties and "girls gone wild" scenarios are things that legends are made of. So, the question that some may ask is whether black institutions should be held to higher standards.

Of course they should.

Our ancestors did not sacrifice their lives so that black students today can listen to "tha Gooch " rap about gettin' wasted.

More than that, they owe it to the future generation who should be looking to them as the ones who will finally end centuries of perpetual black misery.

Black colleges across the country should ban together and place a moratorium on the minstrelsy so prevalent in much of today's Hip Hop. The student body presidents at HBCU's should draft a "manifesto against the madness" and vow not to spend student funds to bring rappers that shame the black community to their campuses. Instead they must seek out those artists that seek to encourage young black children to strive for college yards instead of prison yards.

So, intelligent brothers and sisters of HBCU's, the choice is yours. Are you going to raise your voices against Gucci gangsta-ism or are you going to be at the next concert singin' "Freaky Gurl " at the top of your lungs? "

Sunday, October 4, 2009

By now everyone has seen the video of the brutal murder of Chicago honor student Derrion Albert who was beaten to death September 24th.

Since the murder, many people have been pointing fingers as to who is to blame for the death of Derrion.

Of course, we know that the teens who beat him ,unmercifully, are to blame but in the bigger picture, we murdered Derrion Albert.

No, most of us weren't there swinging 2X4's or throwing blows but we are just as guilty.

I'm talking about those of us who sat around watching the murder video on youtube like it was some snuff film.

I'm talking about the men who sat around all day watching football games and scratching themselves instead of getting involved with activities to help the youth.

I'm talking about those of us who have become so accustomed to murder and mayhem in our music that we have forgotten the impact it makes when the whole world watches videos of black people behaving like savages.

So we shouldn't mourn for Derrion. We should mourn for ourselves.

Because his blood and the blood of many other children is on our hands...

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com

The following tribute is by Focus 1 (Christopher LeMark) of Chicago. He can be reached at LeMarkFrazier@Gmail.com

Paul Scott

Paul Scott

Paul Scott is a minister, writer, lecturer and activist. He has been a guest on talk shows around the world including Hannity and Colmes (Fox News), Fox News Live, Nachman (MSNBC), Hot 97 (NY), The Bev. Smith Show, Mancow Morning Show, Mike Medved Show, Russ Parr Morning Show, Mo in the Midday WVON (Chicago), Tom Pope Show (DC) Newstalk 1010 (Toronto) and SAfm (South Africa) discussing the issues of Rap,Race,Religion and Revolution. He has been interviewed by many newspapers including the New York Times, the USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and the Christian Science Monitor. Scott has lectured at universities across the country including West Virginia University, Clemson, Winston Salem State University and Illinois Wesleyan University. Scott was ordained a Baptist minister in 1998 he later went on to coin the phrase Afrikan Liberation Theology, which is "Black Liberation Theology for the 21st century." After forming the New Righteous Movement, Scott formed the Messianic Afrikan Nation in 2003. For more information contact (984) 377-2064 info@nowarningshotsfired.com or Twitter @NWSF